A general theory of information processing and retrieval is developed. Mathematical models are constructed for particular topics within the general framework. Research is proposed to test and extend the theory. Main research areas include the nature of sensory processing--limitations of capacity and attentional control; high speed scanning of short-term store; forgetting from short-term store; control processes used in short-term store for transfer to and retrieval from long-term store; the nature of the memory search; the role of temporal- contextual information in storage and retrieval; and the cause of long- term forgetting.